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Native nonprofits play a vital role in our communities by aiding in the equitable and accurate delivery of services. While they amplify the voices and perspectives of Indigenous peoples, they also face unique challenges in sustaining and scaling their operations. Research shows that less than 0.4% of large philanthropic funding makes its way to Indian Country. This minuscule amount creates extreme competition among countless nonprofits with worthwhile missions. Native Americans in Philanthropy aims to change this. Native nonprofits must be prioritized in funding strategies and opportunities.
Our August MES panel addressed this critical need. This impressive group of practitioners, funders, and advocates joined us for a holistic conversation on the needs and resources available to Native nonprofits. Native Ways Federation’s Carly Bad Heart Bull (Dakota/Muscogee), Native Voices Rising’s Shash Yázhí Moreno Charley (Diné), and Change Labs’s Heather Fleming (Diné/Navajo) shared their resources and knowledge to ensure that Native nonprofits across Turtle Island are safeguarded and secured for generations to come.
Watch the broadcast now on NAP’s YouTube Channel and be sure to subscribe to the NAP YouTube channel for more informative and important resources on Native communities.
Executive Director, Native Ways Federation
View BioCarly Bad Heart Bull (Bdewakantunwan Dakota/Muscogee Creek and a citizen of the Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe in South Dakota) is the Executive Director of the Native Ways Federation (NWF), a national non-profit founded by seven of the most reputable Native-led non-profits in the country. NWF’s mission is to activate and expand informed giving to non-profits in Indian country through donor education and advocacy. She came to NWF from the Bush Foundation, where she served as the Native Nations Activities Manager since 2014. Her service area encompassed Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and the 23 Tribal nations within the region. Carly has a background in law and was previously an Assistant County Attorney for Hennepin County Attorney’s Office (Minnesota) in its child protection division. She has also taught the Dakota language to early childhood students in South Minneapolis. She currently serves as vice chairwoman of the board of local non-profit and Indigenous farm, Dream of Wild Health, and is also on the board of Native Americans in Philanthropy, a national organization with a mission to promote equitable and effective philanthropy in Native communities. In 2020, Carly was named a Minnesota Attorney of the Year, for her instrumental work on reclaiming the Dakota name of Minneapolis’ largest lake (formerly Lake Calhoun) to Bde Maka Ska. In 2019, she was selected by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation as a Community Leadership Network Fellow, a program for leaders across the country working to create transformational change toward a more equitable society for all. Carly holds a Juris Doctorate degree from the University of Minnesota Law School, a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota, and an Associate of Arts degree from Minneapolis Community and Technical College. Carly lives in Bdeota Otunwe (Minneapolis, or City of Many Lakes) with her young son Quill.
Program Coordinator, Native Voices Rising
View BioShash Yázhí Moreno Charley comes from the Diné (Navajo) Nation in New Mexico. The lineage that runs through Shash Yázhí’s blood is of leaders, healers, traditional caretakers, activists, and teachers. Shash Yázhí is a consultant with a background in organizing, training, fundraising, facilitation, and program development, all with an emphasis on healing and wellness.
Shash Yázhí is from the Nashashí Dine'é - Bear Clan born by the Bit'ahnii Dine'é - Folded Arm Peoples Clan. Shash Yázhí’s maternal grandfather is Tódich'ii'nii Dine'é - Bitter Water Clan and paternal grandfather is Naakai Dine'é - Mexican Clan. Shash Yázhí identifies as Dilbaa (he/she)—one who comes into this world in a female body but holds masculine traits.
For the last 30 years, Shash Yázhí’s passion has centered on intergenerational work with a focus on youth and elders from all communities, especially the two-spirit/LGBTQIA. Experience with Indigenous communities has also empowered Shash Yázhí to practice movement work that integrates spirit and connection to the heart in order to strengthen the impact of organizing work.
Shash Yázhí uses the form of holding circles as a base, utilizing Tribal healing practices from the Diné (Navajo) reservation where Shash Yázhí was born and raised. These circles incorporate aspects of Native ceremony through the custom of talking circle, the use of talking objects, teaching around connecting to Mother Earth, as well as the spiritual practice of letting go through Seasonal Fire Circles (Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter) which encompass traditional reflection around connecting to the transition of the seasons.
Currently, Shash Yázhí holds space at the Native Voices Rising as the Program Coordinator. Native Voices Rising serves as a mechanism to build broad-based philanthropic support for grassroots groups led by and for Native communities and to amplify Native voices elevating Indigenous solutions to historic harms and society’s most pressing issues.
Shash Yázhí is also the Lead Coordinator in facilitating an Indigenous Trans masculine circle called the Four Direction Fire Keepers. Shash Yázhí works with individuals toward liberation and transformation to promote integrating and connecting our mind, body, heart, and spirit.
Co-Founder and Executive Director, Change Labs
View BioHeather (Diné/Navajo) is the co-founder and Executive Director of Change Labs, an organization supporting entrepreneurship and innovation on the Navajo Nation. Heather engages partners in and around the Navajo Nation to incubate, finance, and train new and prospective Native American entrepreneurs in an effort to diversify local economies and promote innovation. The inspiration for Heather’s work to seed Native American social entrepreneurship was inspired by her upbringing in rural New Mexico and her work with Catapult Design, a company she co-founded in San Francisco and led for 10 years. Catapult is a product and service design firm with an expertise in human-centered design for marginalized communities. Through her work with Catapult, Heather partnered with organizations and social entrepreneurs to develop sustainable solutions that address technology and social issues such as: rural electrification, water purification and transport, food security, and improved health.
Heather was previously a design and innovation consultant in Silicon Valley, designing products and services for a diverse range of corporate clients, and an Adjunct Lecturer at Stanford University and California Academy of the Arts. Early in her career she co-founded and led a volunteer group, the Appropriate Technology Design Team, focused on social impact design work through a professional chapter of Engineers Without Borders (EWB) in San Francisco.
Heather was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and a Pop!Tech Social Innovation Fellow for her work with EWB and Catapult Design. She previously served on the American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s Engineering and Global Development committee, chairing an initiative to create standardized evaluation metrics and design guidelines for products distributed in impoverished communities, and is a former Board member of the Dineh (Navajo) Chamber of Commerce.
Education Resource Facilitator, Native Americans in Philanthropy
View BioBobby “Trae” Trousdale (he/him), a proud citizen of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, is a descendent of the Toupin family and was raised in Tecumseh, Oklahoma. Before joining NAP, Bobby “Trae” worked in student programming, advancement, and leadership within higher education. He also brings experience from the private sector in event planning, employee engagement, and executive operations.
Bobby “Trae” received a Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Oklahoma City University. He holds an M.P.A. specializing in nonprofit administration and a graduate certificate in Native American Studies from the University of Oklahoma. His areas of research focused on issues of organizational diversity, community development, and Indigenous strategic planning.
In his free time, Bobby “Trae” volunteers with several local organizations including Sisu Youth Services, both Oklahoma City Pride organizations, and serves on the Board of Directors for the ACLU of Oklahoma. He also enjoys stickball, pickleball, antiquing, and exploring Oklahoma City’s local breweries with his spouse.. He is married to his college sweetheart, Taylor. Together they live on the Southside of OKC and have a dog and a cat, respectively named Timothy Gunnderson (à la Project Runway’s Tim Gunn) and Tamale.
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